ASK THE PARKS PRO'S
Got a question about Stromlo Forest Park or about mountain biking? Ask the Parks Pro!
Email your question to info@stromloforestpark.com.au and Jared Rando will answer it for you!
April 2009
Hi,
I've just had a quick look at your website. I notice that there is a "park pro". is this like a golf pro at a golf course where you can book in for lessons to help with your technique etc? i had a pretty big stack yesterday and i love going pretty fast but when it comes to negotiating the technical parts i have no idea (eg jumps etc) and it would be great to get a bit of a coaching session from somone because then i can go fast and also be a bit safer. i don't do the full on downhill just the the cross country stuff. any info you can provide will be appreciated P PS I know that CORC hold sessions for females but have checked their website and there aren't any coming up.
P
Hi P,
The CORC womens clinics are definitely the way to go- just make sure you book early because they tend to fill up quickly. Since there aren't any coming up though, some other options I know of are Raw NRG at Thredbo who offer private and group lessons and Cyclinic (www.cyclinic.com.au).
In the meantime though, the best advice I can give you is to try lowering your seat a little when riding technical stuff until you get your confidence up. This makes it easier to get your weight back and you'll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.
Another thing to remember is to try not to tense up through technical stuff and try to keep your weight centered on your bike on your legs rather than using your arms to support yoursef.
With jumping, the best advice I can give is to start small and work your way up. Start really small though. Learn to jump of gutters and really small things. This will help improve your timing whch is the most important thing with jumping. Just like technical stuff though, it is really important to keep your weight centered and use your legs to hold yourself up- not your arms.
Practice makes perfect and the more you challenge yourself, the faster you will progress. The best way to learn is to do it over and over and over again and never give up!
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Jared
